where does God speak to you?

the time it takes to make someone smile maybe infinitesimal to you--but to them, it is eternal...

I clean apartments for elderly folks here in my small town. In some, it is as if time has stood still: shoes are in the exact same spot they were before and what is even more sad is that the vacuum cleaner marks that I made in many rooms are still apparent a week or two later. These folks are waiting...waiting...waiting...for something to change the routine of their days. Where are their grown kids? Too busy to even stop in and say hi? Too far away? Too...something, I am sure.

As I cleaned, I told myself how much I hated, hated, hated cleaning the bathrooms! Ugh, it is probably THE worst aspect of the job that I have. As I swirled cleaner in the toilet, I could hear a small Voice in my head, a Voice that said, "what you do for the least of Me, you do for Me!" "Yeah, but Lord, TOILETS?" Again, I was reminded of how Jesus washed the feet of others. For me, washing toilets is probably the closest I will get to that.

Washing feet--washing toilets...both jobs come with less than sanitary conditions. However, I think that washing feet is even more personal, as one is getting close-up to the owner of those feet. Close enough to maybe also see tears of joy at having that physical contact, close enough also to maybe feel some sense of shame at where those feet have been. In our own lives, our feet have also trod places that I am sure Jesus would not have accompanied us to, yet He instructs us all to do this simple chore...to notice that though we are sinners, we are to love one another as He also loves us- no matter where we have been.

It amazes me how often God comes to me when I am doing these humble chores. 

Even in the cleaning of toilets.

For that, I say, Thank you, Lord, for reminding me of Your Love. Thank you, thank you!

Amen.